When A Weasel and A Cat Kiss
by Shuriken-chan
Summary: It's dangerous when an Akatsuki falls in love with someone. It's even more dangerous when that 'someone' is a jinchuuriki. Poor Itachi. Stupid Kisame. ItachixOC
1. Sweet Dreams

**A/N~ Yayz! My first fan-fic! Don't kill me if it's not good though...**  
**( This ())~%~~ is a rose)**

* * *

**When A Weasel and A Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 1  
**__**Sweet Dreams **_

Everyone knows Killer Bee. The hachibi, the fail of a rapper, overall a creepy guy.

But not everyone knows that there was another host for the eight-tails before that.

A young girl named Yumiko.

Always shy, but could easily snap Killer Bee's neck with just a punch. Came from an extinct clan that could control all aspects of nature, without any use for chakra. The rarest Kekkei Genkai in the world.

And not everyone knows that before an octopus, the hachibi was a jaguar. Yes, the chakra monster was forced to change forms, because of Uchiha Madara.

There's a reason why Yumiko's not the current jinchuuriki anymore, though.

She fell in love with a criminal.

Nobody ever brings it up, however, because it is a sore topic around Uchiha Itachi.

But that aside, _everybody_ already knows that Hoshigake Kisame is a horrible person…

())~%~~

Uchiha Itachi smiled a bit in his sleep. He was having a wonderful dream. A blonde with piercing green eyes had him in a deep kiss, her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist.

She was beautiful; she wore a green tank, and a short black skirt over her black leggings.

He ran his fingers through her shoulder-length hair, so intoxicated by her that the Uchiha almost didn't notice the shadowy figure behind her.

It looked too familiar-the dark silhouette; a cloaked, towering shape with messy spiked hair, and a grin that reached from ear to ear.

The shape held something on its shoulder.

The girl just gazed at Itachi, her green eyes confused. She wanted to keep kissing him.

She didn't seem to notice the doom that was awaiting them.

As the smaller, jagged-like shadow that sat on the shape's shoulder slowly detached itself from the former, Itachi's onyx eyes widened and his heart was suddenly in his throat.

He wanted to scream. Pull the girl out of the path of the shadow, but his heart choked him, and he couldn't make use of his voice anymore.

The young Uchiha was paralyzed in fear, for the first time in his life.

The sword brought itself down on the blonde's shoulder.

…as soon as a pillow was brought down on Itachi's head.

())~%~~

"Heh. Direct hit. The hell were you dreaming about?"

Kisame had thrown a pillow at his sleeping teammate. Itachi looked like he was about to die from hyperventilating in his sleep.

"…nothing." He answered breathlessly, sitting up in his bed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Itachi wished Kisame would drop it right there, forget about the whole thing, but he knew better.

The damned shark would keep pushing until he got every detail out of him.

"Didn't look like nothing. Itachi-san, you were gasping for air and clenching your fists when I walked in. I threw that pillow at you 'cause you looked like you were going to start screaming-"

"I said it was nothing, Kisame." The 21-year-old rolled out of bed and grabbed his Akatsuki cloak.

The shark watched in silence as Itachi pulled his left arm into the cloak and hastily headed for the door. Grinning his shark-toothed grin, Kisame broke the silence.

"Yumiko."

The name stopped Itachi dead in his tracks. He turned to face his partner, but snapped his head back forward when he felt his face get hot.

The Uchiha pulled his other arm through the cape and continued through the door. Much to his demise, Kisame followed.

In the small kitchen stood that annoying terrorist, Deidara, and his idiot of a partner, Tobi. They were screaming at each other, as usual.

Apparently, Tobi burnt Deidara's breakfast by accidentally typing '10:00' instead of '01:00' on the microwave.

Itachi pushed passed them and got some leftover onigiri out of the fridge. He looked annoyed as all hell as he went to sit down at the table.

Deidara noticed that, and he took his attention away from the masked idiot to turn and face the Uchiha.

"Sheesh, what got you down besides the whole world, yeah!"

"Itachi-san had a dream," Kisame teased, "about his _soul mate_."

"Eh? Itachi-san has a girlfriend? TELL TOBI!" Itachi suddenly found an orange mask in his face, which only made him angrier. He glared at Tobi, and the orange was gone as soon as it came.

"Un, how come I never met her?" Deidara protested with a smirk. Itachi's face turned blood red again, this time from aggravation.

"You weren't in Akatsuki at the time, Deidara. You weren't either, Tobi." Kisame explained, "It was just the eight of us. Actually, it was kind of nice…"

"Shut up." Itachi finally spoke up, rather hostile. He seemed reluctant to discuss the topic.

Of course, that wouldn't stop the two new members from finding out. "Just tell the story, Kisame-san! Yeah!"

And so begins our flashback…

_Chapter 1~End_

_

* * *

_

**A/N~ D: sorry, short! The next chapter will be longer :D This chapter is like... an opening to the flashback. NOT A PREVIEW! It's considered part of the story... =_='**

**Things you might not know:**

**Onigiri is Itachi's favorite food. It's like rice cake.**


	2. Akuen

**A/N~ Okay, Chapter 2! Thanks for the encouraging reviews, they really made my day :D**  
**Anywho, this is the beginning of the flashback that takes place three years before the start of the show, two years after the Uchiha Massacre, and if you're counting, that makes Itachi fifteen.**  
**I hate math...**

* * *

**When A Weasel and A Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 2  
**__**Akuen**_

"The age-old story of how girl meets boy" is not always true.

For this situation, it was more like "boy captures girl, boy accidentally kisses girl, girl falls in love, and leader gets angry."

())~%~~

"I've… never heard of this village before…" he mumbled.

"Oh yeah? ANBU didn't even know? Well, it doesn't matter. This village is history as soon as we catch this seven-tailed jinchuuriki. Leader doesn't want a petty village in our way for world domination." The shark really was talkative.

Uchiha Itachi wished the leader would pair him with someone different.

Two years ago he joined the Akatsuki, and starting two years ago, Hoshigake Kisame wouldn't stop talking.

He had given the Uchiha countless reasons to kill himself already.

"Let's just go." the stoic little fifteen-year-old sighed.

The two were standing outside the Kigakure's gates. Nothing spectacular to look at, not like Konoha's gates.

It was just a small arch, no doors, overlooking the village with the symbol on top-a simple vertical line with leaves on the bottom; kind of like a child's drawing of a flower stem. Fitting for such a tiny village.

As Itachi proceeded to walk wearily through the gate, a blur of green jumped in front of him and kicked him hard in the chest. He went flying into a tree.

Then, in an instant, the blur was at Kisame's front.

"You little-!"

TING! A deafening sound as a kunai clashed with Samehada.

The blur stopped long enough for Uchiha to see a flash of blonde hair before it disappeared in a cloud of smoke with a log in its place.

A rustle in the tree behind him and a battle cry, and the blur was aiming a kick at Kisame.

The shark sidestepped and swung Samehada, but the green blur was a little too fast. It did a back flip and charged at Kisame while he was recovering from that massive slash that threw him off-balance when he missed.

Kunai in hand, the blur aimed at Kisame's throat.

Itachi caught its wrist and flung it back against another tree that splintered upon impact. In the process, the kunai slipped and blood splattered the grass.

Now in the place of the green blur was a bleeding kunoichi with a nasty gash on her arm.

())~%~~

_**Kunoichi's POV**_

Akatsuki in the village? How come? Because of the Nanabi? Ahh… And I've been sent to stall… because everyone hates me.

Stupid council.

They'll probably have an all-out celebration when I'm dead. Jerks.

I quieted what little chakra I had-I had no use for chakra-and landed in a tree nearby the gate to the village to await their arrival.

I was not a moment too soon, for two suspicious-looking men in black cloaks appeared shortly.

One was… blue. A shark, with sharp teeth, and was that… gills?

The other was short compared to his monster of a partner. He had long black hair that was tied back in a low ponytail.

And I've never seen eyes more beautiful.

They were onyx orbs, full of dark emotion, although his facial features showed none.

I got lost in those eyes until he approached the gate. Then, I remembered my mission. I was in front of him in a second and Onyx Eyes was against a tree the next. Whoa, I got lucky.

That left him dazed long enough for me to go for his partner, the shark with the giant bandaged sword. Wonderful.

"You little-!" Sharky blocked my kunai with one swing of his sword. I noticed his ravenous look when I rebounded from the collision. Oh Kami.

A quick substitution jutsu and a cloud of smoke left him grinning wildly… at me? He noticed my position in the tree Onyx Eyes was against.

"KYAAA!" I pounced and aimed a shaky kick at Sharky. Despite his looming structure, he sidestepped my kick and slashed with that bulk of a sword.

I barely dodged with a back flip, losing an inch of my hair. I got my kunai ready for a second attack; Sharky looked as though that last swing knocked him off-balance-the perfect opening.

I went into a full-on charge going for a vital point in the throat. When something caught my wrist. Onyx Eyes.

He threw me unnecessarily hard at another tree, causing me to lose my grip on the knife. As it fell, the kunai made a deep cut in my forearm.

I slammed against the tree, cracking it, and staining it with blood.

())~%~~

_**Kunoichi's POV still**_

"Heh. Cute little kunoichi… thinkin' she can take on two Akatsuki at once…" Sharky smirked as he strolled over to me.

Onyx Eyes just stood where he was, staring at my arm that was uncontrollably oozing hot red liquid. His eyes betrayed his composed face and whispered the words _I'm sorry_.

"What's your name, girl?" The shark asked. I was hesitant to answer. These were Akatsuki. If they found out who I was…

"Did you not hear me, girl? _What's your name?_" Sharky tapped my foot with his, leaning down a bit to come to my eye level of sitting on the ground. I shrank a couple inches when I saw him up close.

"Y-Yumiko…" I said in a strained voice the was almost a whisper. He snickered at that and stood straight again, walking to the other side of the tree to lean against it. Onyx Eyes was still looking at me, motionless.

"Yumiko, how old are you?"

"…fourteen." I answered. Now there was some movement from Onyx Eyes. A light shade of red dusted his face as he adverted his gaze from me. He took a half step back.

"Ha ha hah!" The shark boomed as he eyed his comrade, "Itachi-san, hear that?" Onyx Eyes was shuffling from foot to foot now, finding the ground very interesting as his whole face turned red and his eyebrows furrowed together.

I _needed_ to get out of there soon.

())~%~~

_**Nobody's POV**_

Kisame found this whole thing rather amusing. Itachi had never shown emotion before. _Maybe the guy does have a heart,_ he thought as he laughed out loud.

Itachi was burning with anger at his partner. Now he had countless-and-one reasons to become suicidal. Then again, she _was_ kind of cute…

Kisame shakily got up from his position behind the tree Yumiko was against and stalked over to her, still laughing. The shark composed himself enough to replace Samehada on his back and take the kunoichi by the arm. He yanked her to her feet and looked her up and down.

"Itachi-saaaaan," he giggled in a sing-song voice, "she's pretty cuuuute!" Kisame bumped Yumiko towards the 'apathetic' adolescent, a little harder than expected. The kunoichi crashed into Itachi, knocking them both to the ground and staining him with blood.

The position they were in caused them both to blush wildly, only making Kisame shake with laughter. The shark stumbled toward the two like a drunken man as Itachi pushed Yumiko off of him.

Kisame caught the girl and again elbowed her.

This time into Itachi's lips. Kisame almost laughed himself to death. This would be a great story to tell the rest of the organization. If he ever lived to see them again.

He looked over to the fifteen-year-old through tearing eyes-he was still laughing-to see what his fate would be. To the former Mist-ninja's shock, Itachi _wasn't_ glaring daggers at him. He didn't pull away from the kiss.

"Eh… Itachi-san?" Kisame re-collected himself and now just stared on, confused. As if he didn't exist, the two young ninja went on kissing, until Yumiko remembered where she was.

Her eyes flew open and she pulled away from Itachi's grasp. Beat-red-half from blushing and half from bleeding-and embarrassed, she hastily stood and put some distance between her and the former Konoha-ninja.

"S-s-sorry!" Yumiko retreated further but was tripped by Kisame. A face plant into the grass left her helpless as Itachi got up and walked towards her. The shark was in suspense.

Smirking, the teen gently took her by the waist and tugged her to her feet, "For what?" Yumiko blushed, and Kisame hid a growing smile.

The moment was interrupted by a small paper bird that landed in front of the taller Akatsuki. It chirped three times, a signal that Leader-sama wanted everyone to gather.

())~%~~

"Ugh, how come those two can't do anything right?" Pein mumbled to himself as all eight figures materialized in their hologram form.

As the last two came into view-the tallest and the youngest-he asked a question that always seemed to dissatisfy him when he heard the reply: "Find it yet?"

"Ahh, no. I still don't know what the meaning of life is. I've asked everyone, but-Oh you mean the jinchuuriki!" Pein looked at Kisame, infuriated. There were eruptions of giggles at the joke. Who says the Akatsuki don't know how to have fun?

"No, we didn't. We were…intercepted." Itachi answered. Kisame laughed. Pein looked like he wanted to kill the next person who gave him bad news.

"I specifically told you both that the village _knew_ we were coming and to act fast so they couldn't evacuate." Pein said through gritted teeth, "Who the hell stopped you from getting to the target in time?"

"…"

"A…kunoichi." The leader looked dumbfounded. Hidan burst into laughter and Konan looked smug.

"You can't be serious…" Pein rolled his eyes and face palmed his psyche. He couldn't believe that his two best members slipped up because of _just one _kunoichi_. _

"Ahh, wait! There was a good reason! Itachi-san got his-"

"Kisame!" the fifteen-year-old glared at him.

"…"

"-first kiss!" Now everyone broke out into laughter, Hidan was on his knees, clutching his stomach. Itachi shot Kisame a death glare. A guarantee that he was to die in the Tsukuyomi Realm.

Pein looked completely pissed-off. They missed a jinchuuriki because of some stupid, overrated emotions. Hidan calmed himself enough to ask an unnecessary question: "What's her name?"

"Yumiko!" The shark replied. Itachi's sharingan was activated.

Pein's eyes widened. "Wait… Yumiko? A blonde? Green eyes?" -Kisame nodded- "Idiot! She's a jinchuuriki! The hachibi! Capture her! Now!" He ordered frantically, and everyone quieted down. Kisame nodded again, and the tall hologram was a blur as it faded out.

_Are you kidding me?_ Itachi ranted in his head. It was his turn to be pissed-off.

Pein signaled for everyone else to go, then called for the love-sick teen to wait. "Don't let emotions get the best of you, Itachi-san. Especially not with the jinchuuriki."

The hologram faded, and Itachi was alone. "Dammit."

())~%~~

Itachi opened his eyes and looked up from his spot on the ground. Kisame already had Yumiko slung over his shoulder with her hands and feet tied. She was trying desperately to wriggle out of his grasp.

The shark grinned down at him. The youngest member let out a sigh and stood, heading towards the Akatsuki base. Kisame followed.

_Chapter 2~End_

* * *

**A/N~Squee! I love writing! Sorry, delayed, but I needed to get the With Summon materia in the Battle Square... =_='**  
**Things you might not know:**  
**Akuen- 'unfortunate love' in japanese**  
**Kigakure- a village I made up. 'Ki' means tree, and I added '-gakure'**


	3. Emptiness known as Unconsciousness

**A/N~ Okaaay... Chapter 3... Eh, I got nothing else to say... So I'm just gonna go and play Halo Reach while you guys read this... Yeah, you're jealous.**

**

* * *

**

**When A Weasel and A Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 3  
**__**The Emptiness known as Unconsciousness**_

"Please" is a very strong word.

If used properly, it can destroy lives.

())~%~~

By now, Yumiko had given up on escape. She was now limp over Hoshigake Kisame's shoulder, gritting her teeth and scowling at the ground. Her knuckles were white with frustration and her arm was caked with dry blood.

Kisame was leading the way in the green and gray forest, so Uchiha Itachi could see the girl's features twist into-what he called-a sexy pout. Of course, he'd never say that out loud.

He was gazing at her with the edges of his mouth slightly turned upwards when she looked at him.

Itachi snapped his head down to concentrate on the ground, but it didn't matter; blood filled his face. Yumiko giggled at the 'uncaring' ninja, amused by his reaction.

"Can I have another kiss?" she teased with a smile. Kisame laughed a little, shaking the kunoichi off balance for a second. Itachi's face got redder, and she giggled again.

He rolled his eyes at the ground and looked up at her again, a devious expression on his perfect face. Yumiko mockingly copied it, and then Itachi quickened his pace to catch up with them.

Kisame was yanked to a stop from behind him. The shark turned his head to see a surprised kunoichi and an Uchiha kissing. Again.

Annoyed, Kisame let out an overly dramatic sigh. "Well if you like kissing her so much, then you carry her." he mumbled as he slid Yumiko off his shoulder and set her on her still-tied feet.

The young teen pulled her close, which made Hidan laugh.

"Ah, the Zombie Twins! You two were supposed to meet us a while back." The former Mist-ninja scoffed. Hidan was rolling and shaking with laughter at the two young ninja while Kakuzu held a body bag.

"Sorry. I needed to turn in a bounty…" The kunoichi's green eyes went wide and she hid in Itachi's arms, never taking her eyes off the 'sane' Zombie Twin.

"…"

"There's scarier ones, girl."

Kakuzu kicked his partner and pulled him to his feet from the arm of his cloak. He punched the silver-haired, fuscia-eyed ninja at his side to signal him to stop laughing.

The immortal sauntered his way over to Yumiko and Itachi. "So this is the infamous Yumiko! How cute!" Hidan rustled the girl's hair.

"_Mine_." Itachi growled in his velvet voice that sent chills up her spine. He turned slightly, dragging the kunoichi along with him so she was out of Hidan's view.

The former Yugakure ninja's face momentarily showed despise, then was back to his normal mischievous grin. He reached around Itachi, pulling at Yumiko's hair. "No need to get f_ing protective! C'mon! Just let me see her!"

The girl yelped in pain as Hidan tugged her hair and Itachi crushed her closer. She pursed her lips and blew a short stream of air…

…that sent the three ninja crashing into three trees.

())~%~~

_**Itachi's POV**_

"So this is the infamous Yumiko! How cute!" That obnoxious Jashinist patted Yumiko's head, partially messing her hair.

"_Mine_." I glared at him and pulled the cute kunoichi out of his reach. Hidan wasn't going to hurt her; I've lost too many loved ones already.

Obviously I didn't scare him enough, because he reached over me to the girl. "No need to get f_ing protective! C'mon! Just let me see her!"

I gripped Yumiko closer to me, unaware that I was causing her pain, when a jet stream of wind that felt like a brick wall pried my-erm, _the_ girl from my arms and slammed Hidan and I against some trees.

The pain was delayed because I've been caught off-guard, but I was stunned when the back of my head started throbbing mercilessly. My hand clutched the spot where I was hurt to check for red, hot liquid. It was a miracle that my head wasn't bleeding.

My eyes drifted up to see Kisame standing in front of me. "Itachi-san? You okay?" I nodded and searched the area for Yumiko. I needed to know if she was injured.

To my right I saw Hidan, cursing in pain as he took Kakuzu's hand to stand up and leaned against a cracked tree. He appeared to be in tact. Damn, why does he _have_ to be immortal?

When I spotted her, her arm holding her up against a tree, I stood and took long strides toward her. The jet stream must have tore the rope off of her wrists and ankles. "Yumiko."

())~%~~

_**Yumiko's POV**_

"Yumiko."

I have never really liked my name, hated the sound of it. That changed when I heard that velvet voice whisper it with such grace. Inhuman. My face flushed red.

"Are you alright?" I nodded once, a lie. The back of my head banged, my heartbeat was in my ears, and the gash in my arm had opened up again. Blood was dripping from my fingertips and I felt lightheaded. Still, I nodded because I wanted him to see me as strong.

My knees were shaking and I collapsed, my breath coming in shaky rasps. "Yumiko!" he bent down to my level, his arm on my back. His eyes looked worried. It was all a blur from there, because slowly, I succumbed to the emptiness known as unconsciousness…

())~%~~

When I came back to reality, dazed, my surroundings were no longer trees. I was laying in a bed, the room around me dark, the air cold, the atmosphere cruel.

My eyesight came around first. Perched on the bottom edge of the bed was Onyx Eyes-Itachi. He was staring at me blankly, probably waiting to see my condition.

Then my hearing kicked in again. "I'm telling you, Jared-erm, Leader-sama! That was one powerful jutsu or whatever she did!" Sharky-Kisame, I think it was-was talking to what sounded like the head member of Akatsuki.

"Yeah, that f_ing b_ got some ef_ing power! She could be f_ing useful around here!" Didn't need to guess who that was.

And last, my nerves jumpstarted. Excruciating pain. My hand flew to the cut on my arm, only to see that it had been wrapped in gauze. A little confused, I moved my hand to the back of my head. Bandaged, too. I traced the coverings around to my forehead. The person even took the trouble to position the bandages under my bangs.

I sat up, my back stiff from the collision with that tree. Two fingers poked my forehead and pushed my head back down on the pillow. "You should rest." That velvet voice whispered to me. I scowled at him, and he returned that with a small smile.

My gaze shifted to the seven other figures arguing about something that seemed to be a new member joining.

The two that Kisame called the 'Zombie Twins' were there, the Curser and the Bounty Hunter.

Another was hunched over on the ground, and looked like a…Scorpion. Next to him was a 'guy' that had something shaped like a…Plant…covering his head.

Then at the center of the members was 'Leader-sama' and another female. Leader had purple eyes and spiky hair, and the woman had a flower in her hair.

"No. We already have enough power. And a Sharingan user. We don't need more 'help.'" Leader walked over to the bedside and glared down at me. "Besides, she's a jinchuuriki. We should just seal her and be done with it. No playing around."

Kisame vouched for me, "Awwh, come on, Leader-samaaaa! She has an incredible power, and you could keep her secure until we don't need her. Then you can seal her! Plus, Itachi-san likes her!" That earned a death glare from said former Konoha-ninja.

Those lavender eyes didn't seem convinced. I wanted to sink further into the bed as Leader's eyes narrowed to slits. Bounty Hunter spoke next: "Leader-sama, really, she could be of great use to us. When she made that blast, I sensed no chakra leak whatsoever. The thing is, _I don't think she uses chakra_."

That got a reaction from Leader; he closed his eyes and shook his head. When his purple orbs opened again, he let out a dramatic sigh. A few seconds of silence and then:

"Alright, fine. We keep her until we can capture the Kyuubi. No longer. But, she has to pull her own weight in this organization. If she can't keep up-if she drags us down-she can't stay. Final word."

He and Aerith exited the room along with the rest of the members. Two remained: Itachi and Kisame.

"Hope you're happy, Kisame. She's in. But since you suggested it, _you_ give up _your_ bed. Sleep out there on the couch." Itachi nodded towards the door.

"…why can't she just sleep with you?"

"…"

Ah, this was not going to stop, was it? I get sent on a mission to stall some Akatsuki, I get kissed by one, and now I get sucked into their little club. Totally how I wanted to spend my Saturday.

I wondered what Leader would do when he finds out the secret to my power as I once again drifted into the emptiness known an unconsciousness…

_Chapter 3~End_

_

* * *

_

**A/N~ Whoooaaa... ninjas have Saturdays? Of course they do!**  
**Did you guys get the Final Fantasy 7 reference? Areith? Flowers? Ha...ha...**  
**...yeah I'm horrible at jokes.**

**Oh please oh please tell me if this is getting Mary Sue-ish! I will love you forever. Either that or you'll get a cookie...**


	4. Memories of The Past

**A/N~ I'm sorry I was gone for so long! I was suffering from extreme writers' block, and then I had company over for Thanksgiving, and they didn't leave until last week, so I didn't get to go on the computer alot...**  
**That being said, Please enjoy this chapter! There's this part that sounds sooo Mary-Sue, but IT'S GOING SOMEWHERE! TRUST ME! DON'T STOP READING!**

* * *

**When A Weasel and A Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 4  
**__**Memories of the Past**_

"Thanks for the memories…

…even though they weren't so great."

Moral: Remember life could always get worse.

())~%~~

Yumiko had been roaming through the base aimlessly. True, she fell asleep, but the bliss of it wasn't coming to her for more than forty minutes at a time. She had decided that sleeping in a house full of criminals wasn't the best idea, anyways.

Besides, sleep would only bring the merciless throbbing back to her head once she woke up.

So now she was wondering down one of the dark hallways while the rest of the members were dreaming.

If they did dream.

It was painfully silent; nothing but the patter of rain outside. As she neared the end of the hallway, what had to be the living room came into view.

Sleeping on the couch was the shark man hybrid, Hoshigake Kisame, sleeping soundly. The young kunoichi glared at him. She wanted so much to shake him awake and give him a piece of her mind. It was his fault she was stuck here.

The girl made a fist and thought about it…

"Be the better person, Yumiko, be the better person. When this is all over you can give valuable information to your village and be a hero…" She mumbled through her teeth as she angrily continued walking to the kitchen.

Ramen would calm her mood. One: she was starving. Two: Insta-Ramen was like a drug to her.

Digging through the tiny fridge, she hit the jackpot: Miso, huzzah!

Yumiko licked her lips and headed for the sink to get warm water. As she filled the cup, she felt a chill on her neck. Her emerald eyes caught sight of an open window. Yumiko set the 'drug' down and walked across the kitchen to the window to close it.

Trying not to get wet from the rain, she reached for the latch when there was a sound of kunai piercing tree. The guy who had kissed her the day before was training.

In the rain.

In the middle of the night.

It couldn't have been though, because his eyes were a different color. A bright scarlet instead of onyx. And on the back of his shirt was an uchiwa.

Uchiwa…

Scarlet eyes…

Uchiwa…

Scarlet eyes…

Yumiko's eyes grew wide as all the information clicked. She was infatuated with a heartless big brother who killed off his whole family alone.

_Uchiha_ Itachi!

But strangely… she didn't care.

())~%~~

"Get going! Get going!" Pain yelled, shooing Kisame towards the door of the base. Once again, the shark and his partner were going to attempt to capture this strangely strong Kyuubi kid…

…who was only nine years old at the time. *facepalm*

"Itachi-san! We need to get the hell outta here before Leader-sama kills me!" The blue man shouted through the door. Pain was getting aggravated now. The short-ish, fiery-haired shinobi rammed into the wall of a shark with his shoulder leading. Finally, Kisame toppled over and crash-landed onto the grass.

Pain smirked and sidestepped so that everyone's favorite Uchiha could step outside. Yumiko, now in an Akatsuki cloak that was entirely too big for her, was trailing behind him. Her cheeks were bright red as she stared down to their interlocked hands, but Itachi's face was as blank as ever.

Pain took hold of her shoulder and turned her so that firm lavender eyes met wide green eyes. "I suggest you make yourself useful if you don't want to cease to exist, jinchuuriki."

The kunoichi nodded once, her shoulder starting to bruise from the leader's grip. The Uchiha tugged at her hand, making Pain let go of the girl.

Kisame stood and mumbled something about 'being too bossy' and headed for the trees. "C'mon, love-birds! Stop cooing and focus on the mission!" he teased, flitting into the trees.

"Shuddap, Kisame!" As the three shinobi disappeared into the trees, the leader of Akatsuki knew that he had to talk to Madara about this little romance. He headed to said Uchiha's chamber.

())~%~~

Yumiko had to practically sprint through the trees to keep up with the two Akatsuki. Being awake the whole night before and being dragged out of the base at six in the morning took a toll on her skills. She laughed at that. _What skills?_ she thought to herself with a smile.

As she came out of a daze, the girl realized they were coming to a clearing. A beautiful meadow in the middle of the forest. Splashes of color marked where patches of wildflowers were blowing in the slight breeze. More beautiful, isolated flowers that grew boldly from their roots dotted the dew-dropped grass.

Yumiko could swear that the sun shone brighter as Itachi stepped into the garden.

The flowers seemed to straighten their posture from the love in the air. Even Kisame seemed to be handsome surrounded by the glowing orchids and roses.

The kunoichi blushed as Itachi sauntered up to her, picking a wild rose as he went. He smirked and placed the beautiful red carnation in her hair. Yumiko's whole face turned as red as the carnation when the Uchiha took her by the waist and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Of course, not even a rose could match your beauty."

())~%~~

"KISAME THAT IS NOT HOW IT HAPPENED!" Itachi interrupted the shark's recollection.

"Eh, really? No, I definitely remember that ominous meadow…" He smirked.

Deidara looked scared and Tobi was listening intently to Kisame's epic love scene. "Awwh… but Itachi-san! That sounded sooo sweet to Tobi!" Tobi cried, happily jumping up and down. The blonde Iwa-ninja mumbled something about 'that being too something-sue.'

The Uchiha looked infuriated at his partner. _Countless-and-two!_

"But I wanna hear the rest of the story, un!" Deidara whined.

Kisame nodded and opened his mouth to finish the flashback, but Itachi once again spoke: "No, no, no no no. I'm telling the story from now on…"

())~%~~

Yumiko had to practically sprint through the trees to keep up with the two Akatsuki. Being awake and being dragged out of the base at six in the morning took a toll on her skills. She laughed at that. What skills? she thought to herself with a smile.

The girl's thoughts were interrupted when she ran into one of the cloaked men. Full-force, but the collision didn't seem to affect the Uchiha. He turned and looked momentarily at the blushing girl, then back at his partner.

"Let's stop here. It's getting close to lunchtime… and I didn't have breakfast…" Kisame said with a sigh. Itachi nodded, but remained silent.

Yumiko felt something tug at her hand again, and followed the fifteen-year-old down to the ground. The shark sat down against a tree, while Itachi leaned against another one.

Wondering exactly what sharks ate, the kunoichi stayed where she was positioned and looked at Kisame. He pulled out four rice cakes from his bag and tossed one at his partner, who easily caught it.

"Want one?" the Uchiha asked a confused Yumiko, who was still trying to figure out why Kisame hadn't brought a steak to eat. She shook her head slowly; she was still full of dru-erm, ramen.

Itachi stared at her for a moment, but looked away and flushed red when Yumiko met his gaze. Feeling the need not to throw up, Kisame rolled his eyes and broke the silence. "You know, I'd like to know about the people who sleep in my bed." The shark smirked and took a monster bite out of the rice cake.

Yumiko hesitated for a moment, pondering the action of telling the two men about her past. She didn't talk about it much-not because she didn't want to, just because nobody ever asked.

"Well go on." the shark pushed. Yumiko sighed and gathered her words.

"Well uh… where should I start?"

"The beginning."

"…"

She sighed again and shifted her weight to one foot. "I, uh… am really from Kusagakure. I had a clan and everything there. Even friends." Yumiko smiled when she remembered the days when her friends would play the day away with her.

That was way too many years ago.

"And then the attack happened." Now the kunoichi's smile was gone. "My bijuu kind of just… lost it…"

Yumiko sighed for the however many-th time that day. Actually, there was a reason why the hachibi went berserk, but it was stupid. Her best friend and her had a fight. Small, but enough to break the friendship and make a six-year-old Yumiko cry.

"So then what happened?" Kisame asked, a little confused about 'the attack' as the girl called it. The kunoichi snapped out of her little flashback and looked at the shark and Uchiha. They both appeared as interested as they could.

Which, of course, meant that Itachi had a blank expression and Kisame had stopped eating to listen.

She giggled a little and continued. "Half the village was killed off. The half my clan lived in…"

Itachi suddenly got very interested.

"…and my best friend…" His onyx eyes widened.

"…all when I was just six years old." Now he was wondering if this girl knew his life story.

Kisame snickered, which was pretty funny to watch. Yumiko, as if reading the Uchiha's mind, met his shocked gaze. Itachi immediately donned his poker face again, ignoring the fact that this girl intercepting him was pure fate.

"G-go on…" he dropped his eyes to look again at the ground, but he could feel those green eyes wearing a hole in his forehead.

The girl guessed that this wasn't the best time to tell the two Akatsuki who her friend was, so she went on to another interesting part in her story. "The village grew to hate me because a rare Kekkei Genkai disappeared, so they made no attempts to save me when I was kidnapped by Kigakure. They heard of the immense damage I was capable of and took the chance to take it for themselves. The village was small, so they wanted me as a weapon…"

Amazingly, the kunoichi didn't flinch or phase while she talked about her story. But then again, crying about it now wouldn't do anything. Still, Yumiko used the same tone as if she were discussing the weather, while Itachi couldn't even _think_ about the Uchiha Massacre.

…damn, he was thinking about it…

"…so now you're caught up. I grew up in Kigakure, hated by the council with no family or friends. I don't even think they know I'm gone, let alone care."

"Eh, don't worry. Itachi-san cares deeply about you." Kisame chimed. Said Uchiha glared his famous Death Glare. It was that if-we-weren't-working-together-you-would-be-dead-right-now look, but the shark thought that it was beginning to turn into an if-you-hadn't-set-me-up-with-her-you-would-be-dead-right-now look. He chuckled.

"It's true. Everyone knows that you two are deeply in lo-"

"Let's just _get going_." Itachi growled in his velvet voice. Yumiko practically had a fan girl moment, but kept her composure… until he took her hand. She blushed a bright red as the two of them jumped into the trees.

Kisame rolled his eyes. "Itachi and Yumiko sitting in a tree!" he said in a sing-song voice. A kunai came shooting through the air to pierce the tree right next to Kisame's head.

"You missed!"

The shark laughed and followed the two shinobi into the forest.

())~%~~

"What do you mean by… 'distraction?'"

"Well, he's fifteen. This is not going to go well for your plans if our most powerful member starts to fall in love." Pain hoped that Madara wouldn't kill him for letting a new member join without his permission. He hated the masked man for all it was worth, but he wouldn't dare piss the Uchiha off. He valued his life.

The masked man sighed, a disappointed, stressed sigh. Madara leaned back onto the wall of the deserted, leaky base in Amegakure. The didn't use this old base anymore, so it became Madara's hideout. Kusagakure didn't have frequent rainstorms, and everyone except Kisame had wished to leave. His vote didn't really count though, since he was a shark.

"Alright. I'll keep an eye" -score one for ingenious puns- "on her. If the start to get serious, I'll step in and kill her."

"Why not seal the bijuu?" Common sense here, Madara.

"Itachi wouldn't allow it. He'd interfere with it, and won't contribute his chakra to the process. It'll take longer than the usual three days without him." Common sense here, Pain.

The fiery-haired shinobi sometimes thought that this Uchiha's soul purpose in life was to make his younger relative suffer. He nodded and left the room without another word.

_Chapter 4~End_

_

* * *

_

**A/N~ And you thought I'd give Yumiko OOC powers... feh. Itachi does NOT pick flowers...**

**Some things you might not know:**

**Kusagakure-Hidden Grass Village**  
**Kigakure-Hidden Trees Village (I made this one up to fit her backstory)**

**Reviews are nice...**


	5. Watched

**A/N~ Well, this was hard to write... especially the little preface thingy. This one's a little Mary-Sue, but it's explained away in the next chapter. And if you find the "The Raven" reference, you get a virtual cookie. Okay, I'll stop talking. ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

**When a Weasel and a Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 5  
**__**Watched**_

You're all alone. Then you feel something.

You're sure that was just the wind making the rustling.

Nope. It's dead still outside.

The hairs on your neck stand on end. Your stomach twists. A chill runs up your spine, and you _know._

You're being watched.

())~%~~

As the three shinobi headed back to the base, it was dead silent. Except for the occasional tweet of birds and rustle of creatures crossing the forest floor, nobody made a sound. Nobody spoke.

Yumiko had proven herself useful, no doubt. She was an unlisted member of the Akatsuki, and therefore, could act as a citizen undercover. She had asked every ninja she came into contact with for the whereabouts of the Kyuubi child, claiming he asked her to teach him a new shuriken technique.

But nothing had come up, so it was kind of pointless to stay any longer.

Hoshigake Kisame was leading the way, as usual, through the trails of the forest. Yumiko was following him, with Uchiha Itachi pulling up the back.

His onyx eyes were on Yumiko's back, watching her wavy hair bounce as she walked. She carried herself with such grace; she would make a great Uchiha…

He stopped himself. Stupid fifteen-year-old-hormones. What was he thinking?

Itachi instead focused on his surroundings. He heard every bird call, every beat of a pair of wings, every leaf falling to the ground…

And a faint chakra signature in… that tree.

He showed no emotion, no sign that he had noticed, just directed his gaze to Kisame. The shark looked over his shoulder to meet the now-activated Sharingan eyes; he noticed it too.

Yumiko was too busy staring at the ground and turning red from Itachi's eyes wearing a hole in her back from earlier to notice.

So when a kunai came rushing through the air towards her, she didn't notice.

"Yumiko!" The Uchiha grabbed the back of the girl's Akatsuki cloak and pulled her out of the path of the projectile. He shifted her safely behind him, and took out his kunai.

Kisame was already in action, though. He threw three kunai at the assailant in the trees.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each paper bomb attached to the knives exploded in succession. The enemy was flushed out of his hiding place and jumped to the ground to attack again.

Except _he_ was a _she._

"Another kunoichi!" The shark noticed the enemy's long black hair that went down to her waist and her brown eyes. She wore a grey t-shirt and black pants. "_This_ one's mine!"

Samehada slashed at the assailant, but was easily dodged. She went for Itachi and Yumiko with a kunai in each hand.

The Uchiha let go of the kunoichi and made a blur of hand signs too fast to be human. A stream of fire came from his lips, heading towards the attacker. She jumped to avoid the fireball and landed behind Itachi.

The fire jutsu hit Kisame, who crashed against a tree. "THE HELL ITACHI?"

"Sorry…" was the meek reply. Two years working together, and they still didn't communicate well in battle.

A girl yelped, and they both turned to see Yumiko and the attacker throwing punches. Yumiko wasn't good with her taijutsu, actually she really just was plain horrible, but somehow, she was winning. The assailant yelped in pain again as her back slammed hard against a tree.

Itachi wasn't sure, but he thought that he saw Yumiko's eyes turn from their original emerald green to a dark purple as she swept her hands from behind her to the front of her…

…and a couple-hundred razor-sharp leaves followed.

())~%~~

"Haha! Yumiko-chan used Razor Leaf!"

"Tobi! Stop interrupting the story! Un!"

"Sorry senpai…"

())~%~~

The attacker's eyes grew wide like saucers as she watched the leaves coming toward her. Then she remembered where she was. She jumped from her place on the ground into the trees and fled, just as the makeshift kunai tore up the place she was moments ago.

Once the chakra signature faded away, Kisame got up and walked towards Itachi. Yumiko regained her posture and blushed a light pink. She hated being the center of attention.

"What… the… hell… was… that?"

"Um, m-my… Kekkei Genkai…?" The girl answered the shark. She was staring at her feet and her face was indistinguishable from the clouds on her cape. Itachi blinked twice as if he'd come back to reality if he tried hard enough. A girl, strong and graceful, who had killed _her_ clan?

"Why didn't you use that power against us?" the confused Uchiha asked. Yumiko looked like she would die of excessive blood to the brain.

"Uhmm… it-it's limited…"

"Meaning?"

"I can only use it when someone… c-close to me… is in trouble…"

"…"

Kisame grinned wider than usual at his partner. He glared daggers back.

())~%~~

By the time the base was in sight, it was dark. Like, bitter dark. _Nakano_ dark. The sun had just set and the moon and stars were hidden by the storm clouds rolling in.

"Ah, finally! Home, sweet home!" The shark made a hand sign to move the boulder blocking the cave entrance and proceeded into the dark hallway. The two shinobi followed him.

As soon as Kisame pushed the old door out of the way to walk into the living room, he was attacked. Hidan swerved around Itachi and Yumiko and hugged him. "There you are you f_ing shark! My savior!"-the Jashinist released the blue Akatsuki member, twisted his face into a mask of rage, and pointed at the door- "Now go get me some f_ing food!"

Kakuzu walked up behind his partner. "But don't spend more than ¥200."

"But Kaaaakuuuuzuuuuu! That's not enough!" Hidan whined, and Yumiko giggled behind her sleeve.

The religious man narrowed his pink eyes at the girl. "What are you f_ing laughing about, you f_ing b_ of a bakeneko?"

Itachi rolled his eyes and walked off. "It's not polite to leave your girlfriend all alone, Itachi-san!" Kisame chimed after him.

"She is _not_ my girlfriend."

"Sure… you just _love_ her!"

A door slammed and Hidan went back to his whining. "Just f_ing go, Kisame! Leader-sama said you'd get more f_ing supplies so that we wouldn't have to f_ing starve to f_ing death!"

The shark sighed, mumbled something incoherent, and angrily snatched the small pouch of money away from Kakuzu before stomping out the door. Why is it that he needed to do everything?

As soon as Kisame had left, Hidan snorted and headed to his room down the hall with Kakuzu. Another door creaked open and shut, and Yumiko was alone.

())~%~~

_**Itachi's POV**_

I slammed the door loud enough for that damn shark to hear. Yes, I was being childish, but _so was he_! But at least I had a place to be childish, while he was, what, 24?

…And damn, I acted without thinking about _her_ feelings…

Whatever, she was _not_ my girlfriend.

I took off my Akatsuki cloak and sat down on my bed. I ripped off my headband, put it on the side table, and leaned back against the wall. My eyes closed and I sat there, listening to the silence.

And then voices came to my ears.

No, I was not hearing things.

I quieted my heavy breathing and focused on listening. The voices were barely audible on the other side of the wall, but I managed to make out a few words.

"Not… work… strongest… love." My eyes flew open, but I didn't move.

Still I listened. "…know… fought… yesterday… plus… information… die."

No. No, no, no, no, no. I shifted so that my ear was next to the wall. Now I could hear everything said. The two voices continued talking.

"Okay, then. We kill her. We lose a bijuu. Then what?"

"We will not lose a bijuu. I'll use my Sharingan to weaken the seal just enough for it to break out. All will be well, Nagato. It is just we cannot afford for her to be leaking information if she escapes from those two."

Sharingan could only mean Madara. Why was _he_ there? This was my problem; I didn't need him to fix it.

I heard a sigh, and then the other voice's response. "Alright then. Yumiko will be killed. By you?"

I made two fists. That loser would _not_ kill anyone else in my life.

"No. Too risky of the other members finding out about my identity. One of them will have to do it… Kisame would be nice. One slash from Samehada would leave her close to death. I can take out the bijuu, and everything will be fine."

Another sigh and a faint poof that took with it Madara's presence.

I waited for another sound, another piece of information, but the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token.

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Yumiko…"

I _knew_ I should have learned healing jutsu…

_Chapter 5~End_

_

* * *

_

**A/N~ Eheh. Yeah... So uh, I have nothing else to say except for now I'll start replying to my reviewers. I'm starting to feel bad about that... =_="**  
**And did you catch the Pokemon joke? Ha... ha. Okay...**

**Some things you may not know:**  
**-Nakano: the river Itachi drowned Shisui in.**  
**-¥: the sign for yen, the currency of Japan. ¥200 is not a ton of money there...**  
**-Bakeneko: In Japanese folklore, 'bakeneko' means 'demon cat.' Kind of an insult to Yumiko...**


	6. Confessions

A/N~ SORRY I WAS GONE FOR SO LONG! But here, a nice long chapter for you. MARY-SUENESS BE GONE! It's all explained away! Squee! Oh, and Itachi gets super angsty in this chapter. Yay. So now, I have three things to say:

1) HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  
2) Thankyou to **Card Captor Fiona, AilenNinja, Iwant2beAcookie, Misty Tathren, MidnightSakuraBlossom18, ArcaneHiddenMagic, jestie Uchiha, **and** animechild97 **for reviewing! You guys are awesome, and sorry I never thanked you before! ^^'  
3) If you find the 'The Raven' reference AND 'The Spectacles' reference, you will get TWO COOKIES!

HUGE THANKYOU TO **AILENNINJA** FOR NAMING YUMIKO'S FRIEND! What would I do without you?

Yumiko: I'd be friend-less.

Itachi: I'M your friend...

Yumiko: More than friends...

Itachi: Don't spoil the next chapter.

Yumiko: Whoops.

Itachi: Oh, just read...

* * *

**When a Weasel and a Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 6  
****Confessions**_

Want to play Truth or Dare?

())~%~~

Yumiko was dreaming, something she hadn't done in a while…

"I hate you!" the scarlet-eyed child yelled, arms crossed and mouth in a pout. Yumiko gasped and her green eyes went wider than they already were. She was speechless. The two children were best friends! They weren't supposed to hate each other!

Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes as she ran from the village and into the training grounds. She wouldn't get lost, her and the boy came here all the time to improve their skills as shinobi.

This time she found it a little difficult to see from the tears streaming down her cheeks, though. The little girl tripped on a rock and fell onto her hands and knees. Yumiko was too upset to even stand. She made two tiny fists and let the tears flow freely. Breathing came in shaky rasps to her, but she didn't make a sound; she didn't want anyone to hear her crying.

_'Erase everything that hurts.'_

Yumiko gasped and momentarily stopped crying. "W-what? Who's there?" She asked in her hushed high-pitched voice.

_'Go ahead. I can help.'_

The forest morphed and twisted around the little girl, revealing a pitch black cave. There were puddles everywhere, and drops of water dripping from the ceiling.

_'Turn around, Yumiko-chan.'_

Petrified, Yumiko obeyed. She turned her head slowly, fearing what she might see behind her. Her emerald eyes went wide and she screamed.

Behind her was the scariest thing the little six-year-old had ever seen, only showing up in stories her mother told her. It was huge, as tall as the Hokage Monument in Konoha her father had told her about. The thing looked like a jaguar... only it was purple. A deep, dark purple that sent chills up her spine. Its head was down low, so that she could stare into its piercing eyes that glowed an intimidating yellow.

Eight purple tails waved behind it.

"M-monster!" she stood and spun around, facing the beast. Yumiko fell backward as one of the jaguar's paws came up to her. One of its claws lightly patted her head.

_'Come, Yumiko-chan. I can make your pain go away. Just take this seal off of me...'_

The little girl's eyes drifted away from the monster's and found the seal the beast was talking about.

It was right on the muzzle of the thing, above its nose.

Yumiko hesitated, but got up to stand on her feet. Her knees were shaking, but somehow she was able to walk over to the jaguar's head.

Her tiny, trembling fingers reached for the seal…

…and tore it off.

Yumiko woke up, careful to keep that scream in her throat as to not wake the slumbering fifteen-year-old. She sat up in her bed that was placed in Uchiha Itachi's shared room with Hoshigake Kisame, and shook the nightmare from her head.

She glanced at the clock that flashed "1:00." Rubbing the sleep from her eyes and deciding not to go back to that hellish dream, Yumiko slowly got up from the bed and headed for the door. She grabbed her Akatsuki cloak on the way out of the room; it was cold from that storm outside.

())~%~~

A crash of thunder and a flash of lightning shook Itachi awake. His eyes snapped open, but he stayed laying down. Turning his head to the clock on the side table, he sighed. Only two in the morning?

The Uchiha closed his eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep, but the thunder wouldn't have it. Another deafening crash of light and sound kept him from settling back down. Come _on…_

He'd been training most of last night, had to get up at five in the morning, and now he couldn't sleep? It had been a dreamless sleep, but it was still sleep!

More earsplitting thunder came from the window, and Itachi admitted defeat. He swung his legs to the ground and sat up. The Uchiha pulled on his Akatsuki cloak; it was cold from that storm outside.

His eyelids were being weighted down by pounds and pounds of sleep, but still he got up and half walked, half stumbled to the door.

A few minutes of fumbling for the doorknob-his failing eyesight was not helping him here-and he was in the hallway. The dark and clammy walls taunted him while he walked towards the kitchen.

())~%~~

Itachi kept his eyes focused as he walked/stumbled through the kitchen doorway, so at first the Uchiha didn't notice Yumiko scrunched up on the floor, leaning against the couch.

Turning on the sink, he took a cup from one of the cabinets overhead and filled it. Yumiko, still awake from her nightmare, hugged her knees closer when she heard clumsy footsteps start walking towards her, and stopped right behind her.

"What are you doing out here? It's late… why not sleep in your own bed?" _Or would you rather sleep in mine?_

Yumiko blushed and hugged her knees even closer to her chest. "I just… h-had a nightmare…" _Can I sleep with you instead?_

She lifted her eyes to meet Itachi's, who wondered how this girl was still awake. He set down his cup, and sat down next to the apparently insomniac jinchuuriki. Not knowing how to start a conversation, he just copied Yumiko's Lawliet-like pose and half-smiled.

She smiled back. Her best friend used to copy her like that when she was little to cheer her up. This boy was so like her…

…oh she was staring at him. Yumiko flicked her eyes back to her feet and turned red to match Itachi's Sharingan. Another crash of thunder and lightning made them both jump, and the Uchiha decided this was a perfect time to… make a move.

"What did you dream about? Your nightmare, I mean." He moved closer. Yumiko let him.

"W-well… it was about… the… massacre." As if on cue, another flash of light from outside shook the base; that was almost enough to make both of them laugh.

"The hachibi didn't come out on its own… did it?" He moved closer. She let him.

Yumiko's green eyes looked at Itachi; she was trying to debate whether to tell him the whole story or not… indirectly it involved him, sooo…

"N-no." The jinchuuriki hugged her knees even closer. "M-my best friend and I… had a fight…" He didn't want to push further; she seemed uncomfortable about the subject. If she didn't want to talk about it-

"…about power. Who was stronger…" Okay, then.

"Did it matter?" Itachi moved closer. Yumiko let him.

Well, better to tell him then. "My friend was an Uchiha. So yes. I had _potential_, he had _raw power_. I guess it did matter."

Itachi had been caught off-guard, and he looked confused. He thought for a moment, then whispered, "I have never heard of an… Uchiha… in Kusagakure." He silently cursed himself for hesitating on that last name.

Yumiko sighed. "Y-yeah. His father was on a three-month mission for Konohagakure when I met him training on the outskirts of the forest. We became fast friends, and did everything together. And, being the aggressive little six-year-old he was, he convinced his father to move at the end of their stay."

Itachi was intently listening now. For the first time he heard about another person who knew a relative of his, and he was interested. Yumiko thought it was kind of cute; his eyes were wide. Lightning broke the silence that ensued between the two.

"What was his name?" The Uchiha asked. He didn't move closer. _She _did. He let her. They were close enough to feel each others' breathing.

"Yuuri. Did… did you know him?"

"N-no. I didn't know most of my family." Itachi replied, "I wish I could have, though." he added under his breath. The jinchuuriki heard him, however. She wondered how he got his reputation as a heartless criminal when the Uchiha did indeed have emotions. And regrets.

"What do you mean by potential?" He asked, switching topics. Yumiko looked at him, but he didn't meet her gaze. The clouds collided outside.

"Oh, uh, m-my Kekkei Genkai. I could only control slight movements then, like small winds or leaves sharpening. I could have mastered it more, like other clan members have done, but I wasn't really interested, and I didn't have enough chakra in me to make big changes."

"But, you can now…?" Lost. Completely lost.

"N-no, I can't. I would have been able to, but the hachibi took control of my Kekkei Genkai. You see, when the damn jaguar was released, I made a huge mistake. I used my power." Yumiko felt a short surge of chakra, as if it was trying to say to stop talking now. She continued. She had to. "It took control of my chakra, and… I don't know, figured out how to control everything."

Itachi's eyes were trying to put all of that together. They got confused. Still lost.

"So when the monster was sealed again, my Kekkei Genkai was sealed with it. That's why I can only use it when I'm in danger, or when someone else important is. But, a small amount of the hachibi chakra comes out when I use it, so my eyes turn purple, my teeth grow fangs, and my fingernails turn into razor blades. If I use enough of my power, purple chakra will start to envelope me."

She smiled a little for a millisecond. "The chakra around me will take the shape of ears and eight tails. I'll look like a cat…"

"Oh." Itachi understood. The bijuu controlled her Kekkei Genkai. "What was your clan's name?" He asked this question from interest, but truly he just wanted her sweet voice to chime again.

Yumiko's eyes grew weary. "Hajime. My name is Yumiko Hajime."

Itachi smiled, but didn't look at the girl. _Cute._

She sighed again. "They were so strong, and it's my fault they're gone…" Yumiko flicked her eyes towards the Uchiha. "Do you ever have nightmares of the Uchiha Clan Massacre?"

The fifteen-year-old looked at the girl. Not a head movement, but a flicker of eyes in her direction. He held Yumiko's gaze for only a moment, then dropped his eyes to the floor. The onyx orbs were hidden by the Uchiha's eyelids. "…yes."

More lightning, and they both smiled for a fraction of a second. The fourteen-year-old was taken aback. She had heard that this boy slaughtered his whole family to test his abilities as a shinobi, so why would he have-

"I… didn't do it on purpose." Itachi's voice was a strangled whisper, and he buried his head in his arms.

"W… what did you say?" The jinchuuriki couldn't believe her ears; she thought she heard wrong.

Itachi's voice was muffled and low. "I idn't oo it n urpose." was all that could be made out.

He silently vowed that he would _not_ cry.

Yumiko hesitated, but deicide to ask anyway. "So… it was an… accident…?" Itachi looked at her confused green eyes.

He decided then to tell her what happened that dark night.

"N-no." The Uchiha shot a quick glance behind the two, down the hallway to make sure nobody was listening in. Darkness there, and nothing more. He continued in a hushed tone. "The… Uchiha Massacre… you could call it a controlled detonation. The clan was planning to overthrow the Hokage and take control of Konoha. I was in ANBU, acting as a double agent for both my family and the village. When I told the Hokage about it, I was ordered to kill my whole family, and to never tell the story."

Itachi mentally slapped himself for letting his voice quaver.

The jinchuuriki tried to make sense of that. It was worse than her story. Slaughtering your whole family, alone, willingly.

She hugged Itachi's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. The Uchiha turned bright red, and he silently thanked Kami that it was dark. He realized he should respond.

With his free hand, Itachi caressed the girl's cheek. A small, quiet gasp that escaped her lips made the Uchiha pull his hand back. He was afraid he did something wrong. "I… I'm sorry…"

"No. It's just… your hands are cold." Yumiko half-smiled and blushed for, what, the 100th time that week?

Itachi gazed at his open hand in front of him. He curled his fingers into a fist. "They're also covered in blood."

Silence, then a faint crash of thunder. The rain sounded like it was letting up just barely outside.

The jinchuuriki's smile disappeared.

())~%~~

**Yumiko's POV**

I didn't know what to do at that point, so let me tell you now that I acted on pure instinct.

And you thought _curiosity_ kills cats…

The next time he turned his head to look at me, I crashed my lips into his. Here is where the word 'blush' sounds so feeble. A complete understatement of what happened to my face.

Itachi must have been shocked, because I almost knocked him over from the collision. He also must have been blushing madly, because his lips were so warm against mine.

A couple of moments passed by before he returned the kiss. I locked my arms around his neck and he hugged my waist. The seconds ticked by, and I wasn't sure how much time had exactly passed before we both broke for air.

Itachi's face was bright red, and a ghost of a smiled played across his lips. I smiled, and blood came rushing to my face again. He rested his forehead on mine and hugged me closer to him.

"It's late, Yumiko. We should go to bed." I nodded once, and he smiled. Itachi picked me up bridal-style and started walking down the hallway…

____

_Chapter 6~End_

* * *

A/N~ Hmmm, I wonder what will happen next?

Yumiko/Itachi: X3

Kisame: ...I'm scared, now.

REVIEW FOR YUURI'S AWESOME NAME THAT AILENNINJA PICKED!


	7. Beginning of the End

A/N~ I AM SO SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A YEAR! I HAD WRITERS' BLOCK, THEN I WAS IN, LIKE, MARY-SUE MODE FOR THREE DAYS SO I COULDN'T WRITE, THEN BIRDS STARTED FALLING FROM THE SKY SENDING ME INTO AFLOCKALYPSE PARANOIA!  
Okay, well, that was a mouthful. But for those of you that are still following my story, THANKS! Here's a nice, long chapter for you!  
Thanks to all of my reviewers, and special thanks to AilenNinja for helping me with a certain scene...  
And Itachi acts like a fifteen-year-old instead of the hot little ball of angst he is for some of the chapter.  
Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go get some **LIMEADE**, repeat, **LIMEADE**.

Kisame: I think they get the hint, Shuriken-chan.

Itachi: This was going to happen anyway...

Yumiko: I think everyone suspected...

Oh, if you find the stupid pun you get a cookie. And Shisui snuck in there for some of the Ita/Shi fangirls... X3 On with the show!

**

* * *

**

**When a Weasel and a Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 7  
**__**Beginning of the End**_

Sometimes, when nearing the end, we live out our lives. Do everything we wanted to. Take a shot at that last dream.

Other times, leisure overtakes, and worries melt.

And rarely, we aren't worried.

())~%~~

Hoshigake Kisame was soaked. Drenched. Not one part of him was safe from the rain. A little water was fine with him-he _was_ a fish-but he didn't like buckets dumped on his head.

Sure, it had died down, but it was a long way from Kusagakure to the base. And carrying bags and bags of groceries did _not_ help.

As he finally neared the "Akatsuki Manor," as the run-down place was jokingly called, the shark sighed with relief. He had never been more thankful to see the old base.

())~%~~

Blood rushed to Yumiko's face while Uchiha Itachi carried her down the hallway of the Akatsuki base.

He stopped in front of the door that led into his shared room with Kisame, and managed to smoothly open the door, even with her in his arms. The Uchiha quietly kicked the door shut once inside, not bothering to lock it.

The girl's face was on fire when Itachi placed her in his bed instead of her own.

It was dark, but the fifteen-year-old still saw Yumiko's reaction and smiled. Adorable. He leaned down to kiss her lips. Her blush deepened, if that was possible.

The kiss broke, and Itachi sat down at the fourteen-year-old's feet. The Uchiha's face turned red as he tried to gather his words. Only three little words, but he had never directed them at anybody, save his little brother and his mother. Itachi was not good with emotions.

But, he took a chance anyway.

"Yumiko… I love you."

The Uchiha felt lightheaded from all the blood in his face.

_That perfect face…_

"You do?" She smiled. Chills went up his spine.

What was this girl doing to him? She provoked emotion out of him so easily, like no one has before.

She was better at confusing him than Shisui.

Itachi nodded and his hormones led him to lean over Yumiko, with his hands on either side of her. She smiled and once again turned red.

())~%~~

Kisame let out a sigh and dropped the bags of groceries in the kitchen. Hidan whined for the damn food, so he would put it away.

Everything but the ramen. The shark pulled out the cups of Insta-Miso and hid them in his stash, deep in the cupboard. That way Yumiko wouldn't eat all of it.

Kami, sharks need to eat, too!

She was just like Itachi with his onigiri; protecting the stuff like her life depended on it.

Kisame laughed. They were perfect for each other after all.

())~%~~

Neither of them really knew what to do; they were so young.

Still Itachi reached for the snaps on her cloak, and unbuttoned it all the way down. Yumiko blushed a light pink and did the same with his.

The Uchiha's face turned red, and he pulled her cape off, revealing her green shirt and black skirt over her black leggings. Yumiko followed his actions, sliding off Itachi's cloak. The traditional short sleeved, high-collared Uchiha shirt hugged his perfect body, and the girl gave a shy smile.

Itachi didn't smile, though; he was reminded of what happened to the girl's arm. Yumiko blushed, seeing his eyes go wide. "It's fine, Itachi. It doesn't hurt anymore…"

"Are you sure? I…"

"Yes, it's fine."

"…sorry for hurting you, though." The Uchiha leaned down to kiss Yumiko's lips, slipping his tongue into her mouth. The kunoichi's eyes softened and her heart fluttered. She moaned and locked her arms around Itachi's neck, pulling him down onto her. He gave in and eased his body onto hers and hugged her close.

They both lost track of time absorbed in the kiss. The Uchiha's hands traveled down to rest on Yumiko's hips, and then up the back of her shirt, tugging it off. A chill went up her spine; his hands were cold. She obeyed, letting Itachi pull the green tank off, breaking the kiss. Almost instantly the kiss resumed, though.

Yumiko blushed the color of blood and moaned as she felt a hand start to caress her chest. Her hands pulled at the Uchiha's shirt, and he grinned against her lips. He pulled off his own shirt, and his hands found Yumiko's legs. Itachi slipped off her leggings so that she was wearing just her short, black skirt, He stifled a moan when Yumiko's tongue found it's way into his mouth.

The Uchiha ran his fingers up the kunoichi's back, playing with the hook of her bra. A few moments of struggling with the damn thing and it was unhooked. Yumiko gasped when Itachi ran his fingers down the middle of her chest, taking the cover away with them.

())~%~~

Kisame finished slurping down the Miso Ramen he hid from the girl. Since she practically attacked anyone who tried to eat it, the back of the cupboard was the perfect spot to hide it.

He sauntered back into the hallway that branched off into each teams' rooms, stopping at the door that led into his shared room with Itachi. His hand reached for the doorknob when he heard a groan of pleasure from the other side.

His beady eyes went as wide as they possibly could as he came to realization.

Holy Kami...

But the kid was only _fifteen! She_ was _fourteen!_

He thought about knocking and bringing them both back to reality, but decided not to. This would be one hell of a story to tell to the_ kids_...

())~%~~

Itachi knew what he was doing, but right that second, he didn't care. He knew a moment like this wouldn't come again, especially with a girl so... similar to him. _And_ she wasn't phased by the fact that he had killed his clan.

But he didn't have much of a life left, and she was going to die soon anyway.

His hands were on Yumiko's hips, sliding down to remove her skirt. Yeah, he _knew_, he just didn't _care._

The weasel kissed the cat again, and he just wondered how it all came down to this.

())~%~~

"You're not going to go into any more detail, Itachi-san?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

Deidara's eyes widened.

())~%~~

When Itachi finally woke up, it was morning. 11 o' clock.

His head was dazed for a moment, then he noticed the blonde in his bed. The Uchiha's face turned red as memories from the night before surfaced.

Itachi got up, careful not to wake the sleeping girl, and picked up his clothes that were randomly scattered around the bed. He got dressed, put on his Akatsuki cloak, and kissed the corner of Yumiko's mouth before leaving the room.

())~%~~

It was strangely quiet when the Uchiha entered the kitchen. He didn't see anyone around. But, he was instantly greeted by a grinning shark sitting at the small bar that separated the living room from the kitchen. Kisame had always been good at hiding.

Itachi ignored him, or would have ignored him if he didn't suddenly block the way to the precious onigiri. Kisame's grin grew when the fifteen-year-old narrowed his eyes. "Kisame, move."

The taller man's grin grew even more, and Itachi's eyes widened. "Say anything and you will be made into sushi." The Uchiha threatened in a hushed tone.

Kisame chuckled and moved so that his partner could reach the onigiri. He sat down on the couch where he slept the night before and just couldn't resist…

"I just thought that you loved Shisui, Itachi-san."

That made Itachi drop the bento of onigiri and whirl around to face the shark. His face was red with anger and his famous Death Glare was more hostile than ever. Yumiko giggled.

The Uchiha directed his attention at the girl who had just entered the room, forgetting about Kisame's comment. She looked like she had just woken up, and her hair was messier than the shark had ever seen it. He guessed that Itachi was the cause of that.

Itachi hugged Yumiko and kissed her forehead. She giggled again and kissed his lips. Kisame was about to throw up.

The shark looked around the room for something to distract Itachi from showing emotion, and he eyed one of the bags he had brought home. Thank Kami that Itachi had told him that he ran out of medication last week…

"Hey, Itachi-san. Here." Kisame threw the small bottle to Itachi, effectively breaking the 'lovey-dovey' mood.

The Uchiha caught the bottle, and Yumiko looked at it suspiciously. Itachi walked to the sink, unscrewing the cap as he went. He noticed the girl's confused eyes on him, and shot her a similar one as he filled a cup with water and dumped two of the pills into his hand. Kisame stifled a giggle.

"Are you sick?" She asked, taking a few steps towards Itachi. Before he could answer, the shark spoke up.

"No, Yumiko. He just takes drugs." He laughed, and Itachi choked on his water.

When the Uchiha recovered, it was clear he had a slight smile on his face. He was _laughing. Oh… what the hell. I'll play along… _

"Yes. Illegal, bad-for-you drugs." He sipped the rest of the water, and Yumiko giggled.

"Oh, that's okay. So do I…" Kisame snapped his head towards the girl, and Itachi choked again.

_Silence…_

"What… you two weren't talking about ramen?" She pretended to be confused, tilting her head slightly to the side. Kisame laughed again and the corners of Itachi's mouth turned up.

"Last night brought back some f_ing emotion, eh Itachi-san?"

And in walked what was considered the most annoying Akatsuki member ever: Hidan.

So now, two options, Itachi: play stupid, or play stupid.

"What the hell are you talking about, Hidan?" Good choice…

The Jashinist strolled over to the couch, passed Yumiko and Itachi, and sat down next to Kisame. "Oh, I think you know _exactly_ what the hell I'm talking about." He grinned and leaned back, hands behind his head. Yumiko turned bright red, and Itachi's eyes narrowed.

())~%~~

_**Itachi's POV**_

Oh, that fish was dead. Yumiko could take his place if Pein-sama whined about it; he was DEAD.

I set my cup down on the counter and took strides towards the now-laughing shark. Hidan inched away. Smart.

I took Kisame by the collar, and partially pulled him to his feet so he was looking right into my Sharingan. "Kisame. You told him?" I growled, and I heard Yumiko giggle.

That came out like a question, but it wasn't. It was a threat to say, "If you don't tell me that you have a mind-erasing jutsu to go with that huge mouth of yours, you will die in the next ten seconds."

He… giggled… "Naw, I didn't tell _him_…"

I heard two more pairs of footsteps enter the living room, and a cat call. I temporarily took my attention away from the fish and flicked my eyes towards Yumiko. She was blushing pink, with Kakuzu and Sasori-hiding in Hiruko-standing next to her.

"I hope that Itachi-san didn't hurt you last night, girl." The bounty hunter teased, and Sasori chuckled. Yumiko's blush changed to a deep red, and she gazed at the floor. I tightened my grip on Kisame's collar, and my Sharingan started to spin and morph into a Mangekyo pattern.

"…I told _everyone!_"

The look on my face must have been a mixture of pure terror and shock, until it turned into a look of rage that would have scared the Kyuubi. _Countless-and-three!_

"Kisame, you just shortened your life to end in thirty seconds."

())~%~~

Yumiko giggled when Kisame poofed away in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind an infuriated Uchiha.

Itachi only took a minute to figure out where the shark was, though; he always hid under his bed. The Uchiha just needed to get down the hallway fast enough so that Kisame wouldn't have time to lock the door. He walked quickly and with purpose down the hallway. Yumiko giggled again.

As Itachi strode toward the hallway, he ran into the three other Akatsuki members. The girl recognized them as 'Leader-sama,' 'Aerith,' and… 'Plant.' *facepalm*

Itachi passed all three of them, and Zetsu's black half patted him on the head and laughed. The Uchiha eyed him for a second, then disappeared into the hallway.

Yumiko wished he hadn't though; everyone's attention was focused on her, save Pain, Konan, and the white half of Zetsu. She tapped her index fingers together, a nervous habit of hers, and turned red.

"**So, Yumiko. You and Uchiha, eh?**" Zetsu said, and Zetsu looked annoyed. The girl shrank two inches and half-smiled.

Pain and Konan made their way to the kitchen, ignoring the scene. Sasori grinned behind Hiruko's armor. "Aren't you going to tell us anything about last night, Neko-chaaaaaan?" he teased. Konan kicked him from her seat at the bar.

"Awwh, come on! I wanna hear what happened between you two f_ing lovebirds!" Hidan whined, and Yumiko shrank another two inches.

"Civilization, Hidan-san. Everyone stop being obtrusive." Pain interrupted everyone's inquiries.

Konan smiled. "Yes, Yumiko. Ignore them."

A door swung open down the hall and loud laughter erupted throughout the base. Kisame came sprinting down the hall, booming with laughter. He seemed to be enjoying everything going on more than the infuriated Uchiha chasing him.

The shark playfully hid behind Yumiko, (read: unfairly) using her as a shield against Itachi's wrath. Pain instantly intervened, moving from his spot in the kitchen to behind the Uchiha in a flash. He grabbed the back of Itachi's cloak, effectively stopping him before he murdered Kisame.

"Let's not kill each other, Itachi-san." The Uchiha was pulled to a halt, and turned his Sharingan eyes towards Pain. Rinnegan orbs met his glare, and Itachi backed off after a few seconds. The fifteen-year-old shook off the leader's hand.

A quick patented Uchiha Death Glare at the spectators sent everyone back to their daily routines. Pain stalked back to the kitchen, and Konan continued to eat the rice cake she took for breakfast. Kakuzu dragged Hidan out the door to go get another bijuu, but not without protest from the Jashinist. Sasori went back to his room to check on his puppets, and Kisame patted Yumiko on the head and… skipped… to the fridge. Zetsu disappeared into the floor, making Yumiko jump and come very close to epically freaking out.

Itachi put his arm around the girl's waist, stopping her from frantically searching the floor to find the plant, and caught her attention. "Please excuse my pet goldfish from hell." he whispered to her, loud enough so that Kisame could hear. Said shark turned and stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha.

Kisame found himself wishing death upon Yumiko to get his old partner back…

())~%~~

Kisame got his wish.

"Uh, Leader-sama, are you sure about this?" But, his wish was just too good to be true, so he wanted to confirm what Pain had just said.

The Akatsuki leader nodded, which made Konan grimace. She knew Madara was behind all of this, but sometimes the old Uchiha was just too harsh. Especially when it came to his younger relative's 'well-being.'

The aura in the old office seemed to darken as Pain explained the run of events that Kisame was a critical part of. "Yes, Kisame-san. Yumiko is becoming a problem as of… last night. She is to be… disposed of tomorrow." The leader shook his head; sometimes he just wanted to break Madara's jaw…

He may be just a corpse, but he had a heart.

Kisame lifted an eyebrow. "O-kay. So, you just want me to… kill her?"

"No. Just leave her close to death, like any other jinchuuriki to be sealed. I'll do the rest. Samehada can suck out her chakra to make it… easier. That's all." He waved away the confused shark, and quickly added, "And your are not to relay any information about this to anyone."

Kisame stood there for a couple more seconds, trying to process all of this. He lifted his eyebrow higher, and stalked out of the room.

())~%~~

Itachi had just _happened_ to hear all of this information while passing down the hallway to get to his room.

Well, there goes your whole plan, Madara.

He walked absentmindedly down the rest of the hallway, partly vexed, partly relieved; the Uchiha would tell Yumiko about his older relative's plan, and therefore foil it.

Itachi opened the door to a girl sitting on his bed. She smiled. His heart instantly fell.

The Uchiha sat next to her on the bed, his eyes finding the floor very interesting. However, unlike Itachi, Yumiko was exceptional at detecting emotions. "What's wrong?"

Onyx orbs met green ones, and he guessed 'nothing' wouldn't cut it. Itachi choked on his heart, and he found his voice box was reluctant to say,

"Yumiko. Pain is going to try to kill you tomorrow."

_Chapter 7~End_

_

* * *

_

A/N~Nice ending, ne? CLIFF HANGER! MWAHAHAHAAA! Kisame's gonna need therapy after all this...  
So uh, things you might not know:  
-Samehada~Kisame's Shark Skin Sword

Kisame: I hate you. I'm going back to AilenNinja's house...

Awwh, well, win/win. Have fun, AilenNinja. Please return him for the next chapter.

Itachi: NO! DON'T! KEEP HIM!

Yumiko: PLEASE! FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT! DON'T KILL MEEEEE!

...sometimes characters just get in the way...

Reviews=Awesome. You can take a punch at Madara for every review you write!

Itachi: Oh, please review...


	8. Stoic

____

A/N~ I AM SO SORRY THAT I DESERTED YOU GUYS! BUT SEE, I LEFT THE STORY ON MY DRESSER AND THEN A GIRAFFE ATE IT AND RAN TO THE SAVANNAH! SO I HAD TO GO GET SHISUI TO TELEPORT ME THERE, BUT IT WAS RAINING AND RAIN IS ANGST AND ANGST HINDERS HIS TELEPORTING SKILLZ! SO I STARTED TO WALK THERE! But then school happened... SO I HAD TO CATCH THE BUS!

I GOT IT BACK BUT THEN ITACHI TOOK IT AND REWROTE IT SO I HAD TO YELL AT HIM AND REWRITE IT! I SAVED IT ON MY COMPUTER BUT THEN YUMIKO DELETED IT OFF MY DOCUMENTS AND ERASED ALL MY TYPING SO I HAD TO REDO THAT AFTER I GOT KISAME BACK FROM AILENNINJA'S HOUSE! AILENNINJA WAS BEING DIFFICULT SO I HAD TO THREATEN TO CALL ALICE (haha... Resident Evil...) ON HER, BUT THEN SHE'S LIKE, "NOOO! HERE! TAKE HIM!"

SO THEN I RETYPED EVERYTHING AFTER I SHOVED EVERYONE IN A CLOSET SO THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE TO SCREW UP MY STORY!

I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRY! SO HERE IS AN EXTRA-EXTRA-LONG CHAPTER FOR YOU, BUT BE WARNED:** IT. IS. NOT. THE. END.**

____

__

**

* * *

**

**When a Weasel and a Cat Kiss…**

_**Chapter 8  
**__**Stoic**_

Being in love… saying "I love you"…

It's like jumping into a shark tank while covered in blood.

Careful. They bite.

())~%~~

"Yumiko. Yumiko, wake up." Uchiha Itachi whispered in her ear and tried to shake the young girl away. He was trying desperately not to make enough noise to wake the slumbering shark.

Yumiko stirred in her sleep, and turned over so that her back was facing Itachi. "N-no… sleep…" she whined.

The Uchiha couldn't believe this; the girl was informed that an attempt to _kill _her would be on that _day_, and she wanted to _sleep in_?

"Yumiko, we need to go. Remember?" He poked her forehead, and still the fourteen-year-old gave no response, just pulled the blankets over her head.

"…"

Itachi's patience was running very thin. He decided to take matters into his own hands. The Uchiha pulled the covers off of Yumiko's body, ignoring her whines. He picked her up and left the room, not bothering to take their Akatsuki cloaks.

())~%~~

Yumiko didn't enjoy being woken up at five in the morning, but she concluded that it _was_ necessary.

She slurped down the rest of her Insta-Miso and yawned. "So… where exactly are we going?"

Itachi looked at the girl from his spot leaning against the small bar in the kitchen. "I… don't know. Not Kusagakure… not Amegakure… and Konoha will see me as a huge threat…" He mentally cursed the Third Hokage and the high council.

Yumiko blinked. "What about…" -she yawned- "…Kigakure?"

Itachi wondered why he hadn't thought about that before. He looked at the half-asleep girl and smiled.

())~%~~

"Well now, _this_ is a problem…" Pain leaned against the door frame that led into Hoshigake Kisame's room, staring at the empty beds. The shark was awake and accounted for, but the two other occupants were missing.

He suspected that would happen, but not as early as it did. It was only 11 o' clock, and the two love-sick teenagers skipped out already.

"That's an Uchiha for you, Konan. So stealthy and stubborn…"

The bluenette standing next to the leader nodded. "Are you going to search for them?"

Pain shook his head. "I have orders to. Tell Kisame-san to head out as soon as time permits." Konan nodded and walked away.

"That weasel…"

())~%~~

"Itachi never took anything this far. It's not like him. I'm guessing that he will be quite difficult to deal with. Separate them, then kill the jinchuuriki. That should make things easier." Madara _loved_ making things difficult.

"…" Pain _hated_ making things difficult.

"Just remember that he is still young and naïve."

With that, Madara dismissed his pawn from the Amegakure base. He needed to get ready to see his younger relative after a long two years.

But somehow, the old Uchiha knew that Itachi wouldn't want to shake his hand.

He laughed, quite maniacally. "That weasel…"

())~%~~

Itachi's eye twitched.

In the past three hours, he found following someone flitting through the trees who had the advantage of nature on their side quite difficult. It was a relief when Yumiko stopped in front of the Kigakure gate.

Memories from the first day they saw each other flooded over the two.

Even more so when Yumiko was kicked hard against the same tree she had kicked Itachi against.

The Uchiha immediately attacked, running towards the assailant with lightning speed, kunai in hand. He dodged three shuriken and clashed with the monster attacker.

_There was a deafening sound as a kunai crashed with Samehada._

Itachi's eyes narrowed to slits, and Kisame grinned.

Yumiko took one of the shuriken that had narrowly missed her head and pierced the tree.

The shark's grin grew. "Sorry, Itachi-san. Orders from up top."

Itachi's onyx eyes turned an intimidating scarlet. "Kisame, I suggest you leave. Now."

The jinchuuriki aimed the shuriken.

Kisame chuckled. "Leader-sama warned me that you'd be difficult to deal with."

Yumiko threw the shuriken, but the shark jumped out of the way. The Uchiha's hands were a blur as he weaved signs. A fireball shot towards the recovering shark. Kisame nearly got hit, the ends of his cloak getting seethed.

When the shark re-gathered his attention, the two shinobi were gone.

())~%~~

**Yumiko's POV**

For those of you who didn't know, Uchiha Itachi is extremely and inhumanly fast. My eyes couldn't keep up with the hand signs he was forming, and before I knew it, he was pulling me into a hug and jumping away.

We practically _sprinted_ through the trees away from Kisame.

"Yumiko, are you okay?" His voice vibrated through me, and I nodded in reassurance. "Good."

Itachi continued to flit through the trees, not once slowing down. I guessed the shark was faster than-

"WATER SHARK BOMB JUTSU!"

A wave of water in the form of a shark came swimming through the air straight at us. My eyes didn't even have time to widen before Itachi dodged, jumping up to the very top of the trees.

I looked down and saw the water-shark collide with a tree that cracked in half and fell down to the forest floor.

The Uchiha was still sprinting through the trees, completely focused and oblivious, when I lifted my eyes and looked over his shoulder to search for Kisame. What I saw was another water-shark, closing on us.

"Itachi, behind you!" He turned his head to see the oncoming jutsu just in time for it to hit him in the back.

It felt like colliding like a freight train full of _bricks_.

Itachi and I spiraled down, the ground fast approaching. We crash-landed _hard_, his back again taking the impact.

I wriggled free of the Uchiha's grasp and helped him to his feet. "Itachi, are you alright?" You could hear the anxiety dripping from my voice. I was scared to death that he had broken something vital. He could have crushed his ribs or-

"Yes. I… I am fine." I could tell that was a complete lie from the way his voice choked on the words. Itachi fell to his knees, coughing up spots of blood.

"You're _not_ okay. Itachi!" He coughed again, and more blood splattered the ground.

Then, the shark landed gracefully in front of us.

"Yumiko, do me a favor and run." Itachi whispered to me, coughing up more blood. My eyes widened.

I shook my head. "N-no! You're going to get hurt even _more_! I'm not-"

"Go! I promise to catch up with you." His voice was full of frustration, and his Sharingan glare was on me. I hesitated, but nodded anyway. No, I didn't kiss him. He _promised_ to come back.

I flitted back into the trees, heading for the Kigakure gate.

As I made my way through the forest, I couldn't help but think that _everything_ was my fault.

())~%~~

Kisame watched as his assignment disappeared into the trees. Damn, so close. He'd get yelled at later…

The Uchiha pushed himself up, effectively taking the shark's attention away from the girl. Kisame's grin was wide. "I really don't want to hurt you, Itachi-san. With you being sick and all…" -he took Samehada off of his back- "…it just doesn't seem fair."

The shark wielded his sword in front of him, a stance that the fifteen-year-old knew as dangerous. Itachi wiped the blood from his mouth and glared. His Sharingan spun until it changed to a Mangekyo. Kisame knew that stance as very dangerous.

He averted his gaze from the Uchiha's scarlet eyes and laughed. "Hey now, don't blame me! It's your fault for falling in love with a jinchuuriki! You knew this was gonna happen, Itachi-san!" Itachi's glare was a hostile warning, as if to say, "Touch her, and you die. That's a promise."

But, you know. Kisame didn't meet his eyes.

The shark charged and slashed with Samehada. The Uchiha sidestepped and punched Kisame with a chakra-coated fist. He crashed into a nearby tree that broke under the crushing force.

Itachi ignored the throbbing pain in his hand and took out a kunai. The shark got up to dodge the paper bomb attached to the knife and charge his partner again.

This time Kisame slashed low at Itachi's knees. The Uchiha jumped to avoid the attack, using Samehada as a springboard to get some distance. He released some of his chakra into the sword as a counter attack.

Sensing the different chakras colliding, the shark skin sword's handle spiked out, cutting Kisame. "AH! YOU BRAT!"

())~%~~

"TOBI THINKS USING CAPS-LOCK IS FUN!"

"Not when you're yelling at an Uchiha."

"WHY KISAME-SAN?"

"Because he'll fireball your ass."

"OH. OKAY. TOBI WILL STOP USING CAPS-LOCK AND LET ITACHI-SAN TELL HIS STORY NOW."

())~%~~

Itachi landed far away from his partner, forming hand signs. Kisame noticed at the last second and started to mold his chakra as well.

Too late. "Fire Style…" Four small fireballs shot towards the shark. They collided with four small water-sharks, making sizzle noises as the water put out the fire.

"I got you beat, kid!" Kisame called out, "Just stop now and- Huh?" The shark's grin disappeared and his beady eyes grew. An enormous stream of fire was heading straight at him.

"Crap! Water Style…" Kisame sent a huge wave of water at the Uchiha, hoping to Kami that Itachi would come to his senses and stop this childish behavior before he got himself killed too.

But, the shark knew better than that. Itachi _never_ drops something he's started.

The stream of fire clashed with the wave of water, steam rising from the heat. Itachi kept his stream going, as Kisame did. The Uchiha knew he'd eventually be beaten if this battle between fire and water went on, so he switched tactics.

He closed his left eye, still keeping up the stream of fire to distract Kisame. The fire dimmed as Itachi focused his chakra to perform his signature genjutsu. His eye began to bleed as the Uchiha released Tsukoyomi onto his unsuspecting partner.

Kisame found the world being melted and morphed around him. His jutsu stopped, and he could feel his chakra draining. Everything turned pitch black mixed with a dark maroon. A blood red moon hung eerily close overhead. The shark knew exactly where he was. "Crap…"

He looked around the Nightmare Realm, searching for the young caster or the way out.

"_There is no way out, Kisame_…" Itachi's voice came from nowhere. That's how Kisame knew he was screwed. As if he could hear the shark's thoughts, the Uchiha laughed.

The black landscape under Kisame's feet melted, turning into a dark, quicksand liquid. "Oh, hell…" The shark cursed as he started sinking into the ground. He struggled in the darkness, but the Uchiha just laughed at him again.

"Those drugs are getting to his head…" Kisame murmured as he sunk into the tar-like ground up to his waist. The shark knew it was all over until he suddenly stopped sinking, and all was quiet for some moments.

Itachi's (read: evil) laugh and a sudden rumble broke the silence. The quicksand-liquid ground started to ripple, and everything started shaking like an earthquake. Kisame frantically searched for the source of the rumble, twisting his neck to its full extent every direction.

"_Up…?" _The shark followed Itachi's advice and saw that the blood red moon was coming closer.

And closer.

And closer.

And closer…

The rumbling got worse, and the asteroid moon was right over Kisame, enormous and still growing. Coming closer. "F_…"

())~%~~

Itachi watched as his unconscious victim fell to the ground. _Too easy_…

He smiled and sighed before jumping into the trees to follow Yumiko.

Okay, well, he tripped on the first tree branch, but it's hard to see when your eye is bleeding.

())~%~~

"…really, Uchiha, hm?"

"Yeah, that's pretty pathetic, Itachi-san."

"Tobi thinks he could do better than that."

"My vision is deteriorated. And I am not in best condition when I cast a genjutsu. Everyone knows this, so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that I… tripped."

The three ninja all laughed at the scowling 21-year-old.

())~%~~

The Uchiha searched for that faint chakra signature he came to love, tracking it all the way to the Kigakure gate. He came out of the trees and half-landed, half-fell behind the girl. She turned away from the gate to face him, and her smile instantly faded.

"Itachi…" Yumiko hugged him, "your eye." The jinchuuriki wiped some of the blood off his cheek.

Itachi pulled her hand away and intertwined their fingers. "I am fine." The kunoichi's eyes became green slits, and the Uchiha mockingly copied her expression.

"And Kisame-san? What about him?" She asked, her voice a little worried.

Itachi smiled a little, reassuringly. "He will not be a problem anymore." The Uchiha laughed when Yumiko's eyes went wide. "He is not dead." (So there, AilenNinja. You can stop hyperventilating now.) Itachi kissed the girl's lips, running a hand through her hair. It was almost impossible to believe things worked out.

But, things _never_ work out for Itachi…

He protectively hugged the girl closer, trying to forget that awful thought. Instead, the weasel slipped his tongue into the cat's mouth.

())~%~~

**Yumiko's POV**

GIRLS: LOVE IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN A KNIFE! Please listen to me, someone who _knows_! Kisses can _kill you_! How ironic that it was a _kiss_ that got me into this situation in the first place…

Uchiha Itachi _knows_ how to kiss. I completely forgot that we were supposed to be running from an imminent _doom_. He ran his fingers through my hair, grinning against my lips. I locked my arms around his neck, and my Uchiha hugged me closer to him. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, almost hypnotizing me. I felt hot blood rush to my face, I was so warm in his arms. I wanted to stay there forever…

Itachi pulled away from me. _What…? Did I… do something?_

I looked up at him, my green eyes oh-so confused. His gaze didn't fall on me, but something over my shoulder. I did my best to wrap his arms around me again; he was so tense.

"Itachi…?" The Uchiha _still_ didn't look my way. A smile no longer played across his lips. His beautiful dark eyes morphed into scared onyx orbs, huge as saucers. Itachi's normally pale skin was further drained of blood and color. In short, he looked terrified. A mess.

I furrowed my eyebrows. _How come…?_

He hugged me closer to him, as if he was desperately trying to protect me. I couldn't comprehend just what was going on…

"Hey, Itachi…? Wake up, my little Uchiha." I waited for a slap or something for claiming ownership, but Itachi still just stood there, frozen. Even when I _tugged at his ponytail_, he didn't stop staring over me.

I scowled. _My lover was ignoring me?_

Itachi's eyes started to grow, and that's when I decided to follow his gaze. I was a little too late. Over my shoulder, and…

_K-Kisame…? _The shark towered over the both of us, casting a dark and cold shadow on my back. His sword was above his head, ready to strike at any fateful moment.

My mind took a while to process just what kind of danger I was in. My green eyes grew, and my heart skipped a few beats, sending a flaring feeling of panic through my veins. The feeling paralyzed me; I was _petrified_.

Samehada started the deadly descent, and I only had time to think about the boy trying _so hard _to protect me.

I pushed Itachi away from me so he wouldn't suffer the fatal blow.

In the next moment, a sharp, throbbing, unbearable pain cut through my shoulder and tore through my nerves. A muffled scream of agony escaped my throat as my knees hit the ground. Kisame's sword was still lodged in my arm, making the landing hurt. Badly. I could_ feel _my chakra draining into the shark skin sword.

_Am… am I going to die…?_

())~%~~

**Itachi's POV**

I am used to things not working out in my favor, though…

To push the thoughts out of my mind, I concentrated on the girl's lips. So soft against mine…

I hugged her close to me, forgetting about everything. Kisame wouldn't be a problem, and I didn't see Madara at all so far.

_Perfect_… I ran my fingers through Yumiko's hair, and when she opened her mouth ever-so-slightly, I slipped my tongue in. She turned warm in response, her lips almost on fire.

It was nice…

…dammit. A chakra signature. Right in front of me. _How did I not notice…? _

I froze. I pulled away from Yumiko when I saw who was standing in front of us. _Kisame? How…?_

That shark was all-smiles as usual, looking amused at my reaction. Kisame towered over us, a shadow of a shinigami. He stayed _perfectly_ silent.

My eyes must have been huge, and all the warmth drained from my body. I tried to make use of my voice, but my heart jumped into my throat, choking the words back.

_Thud thud skip thud skip thud thud thud..._

Yumiko was oblivious. She maneuvered my arms back around her, a look of total confusion on her features. I still couldn't speak to tell her to run.

(I realize now that I could have, should have, and would have pulled her out of the way if I had a second chance.)

"Itachi?"

The damned shark's grin spread further across his face, ear to ear. Samehada detached from Kisame's shoulder, and my heart skipped another three beats. I pulled Yumiko into my arms, still too stunned to relay words.

_Thud thud thud skip thud thud skip thud..._

Adrenaline pumped through my veins, giving me a lightheaded high. I heard her voice call me, but the words didn't process. My hair even tugged at my head as a last-ditch attempt to get my attention.

Kisame's sword rose above his head, ready to strike a fatal wound at any second.

Panic welled up inside me, spilling over into my veins. Adrenaline again tried to give me a burst of action to change the turn of events that were inevitable.

My heart sped up, now skipping every other beat. Chills racking my spine scrambled my mind's messages to _MOVE! MOVE YOU IDIOT! DO SOMETHING!_

My blood went cold, froze over, taking my voice box down with it.

_So this is what it feels like to be paralyzed in fear…_

Yumiko at last glanced over her shoulder to see what was silently slaughtering me inside. A small, rushed gasp escaped her lips before Samehada started the deadly descend.

(She couldn't have been more terrified than I was.)

My mind screamed at my body to move, get away, go anywhere but stay here. Panic stricken and scared over the edge of insanity, I couldn't possibly comply.

Yumiko didn't seem to move until it was to late, either.

She pushed _me_ out of the way of the impending doom, taking the blow to her shoulder.

Yumiko collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees. Samehada sucked the chakra out of her system. She coughed up spots of crimson blood that stained the grass.

_And that damned shark just kept **grinning**…_

Fear and anger both made a mad dash for control of my psyche, and anger won the foot race by oh-so-many miles.

Kisame wasn't near fast enough to annul the powerful kick that knocked him away from the girl to the ground. I squeezed my right eye shut and mustered the last residues of my chakra. My eyebrows knitted themselves together and I made two fists…

"Amateratsu."

Black flames shot towards the shark when I snapped my eye opened. He staggered to his feet and dashed away from the dark fire, escaping into the trees. The Amateratsu flames followed him, crisping the green foliage to a dead brown in one area.

But I was too late, he was already far out of the sight of my Sharingan. I sighed and resolved to forfeit getting revenge… for now.

Amateratsu sizzled itself out.

())~%~~

Itachi kneeled down next to Yumiko, panic and distress clear on his face. "Yumiko…"

The girl hacked up more blood. Her arm was frantically bleeding as if a _major vessel _was hit. The grass was no longer green, but the darkest of maroons. The girl's breathing came in heavy rasps, coughs in between.

"Yumiko, stay with me." Itachi's voice was nothing but a strangled whisper.

"I… don't plan on leaving." Yumiko's voice sounded worse.

"I… I'll get you to the Kigakure hospital. Come on." He picked her up, gentle, so she wouldn't lose much more life-sustaining blood.

To Itachi's confusion, she didn't whine in protest or pain. Instead, she gave a weak smile.

"Look at us… we're a mess."

The weasel kissed the cat on her forehead.

"Not for long. Everything will work out, I promise."

The two disappeared into the canopies of the seemingly abundant trees on the very outskirts of Kigakure.

())~%~~

"_Nowwwww_ the ominous meadow comes in?"

"It was _not_ an ominous meadow, Kisame."

"Yeah, sure, it was just a small field willed with colorful flowers…"

())~%~~

Yumiko's eyelids fluttered and her grip on Itachi's neck grew weaker. "Yumiko, don't-"

"I won't"

"…"

"…"

"Okay. I love you."

"I-" The girl was cut off when Itachi stopped short in an… ominous meadow.

())~%~~

"_Yesssssssssssssssssssss_!"

())~%~~

There, in the middle of the clearing, was a masked man. He stood motionless, and completely _stoic_.

Dammit, why was Madara _so good _at screwing things up?

"Itachi, stop this childish behavior. Give me the hachibi and go back to the base." He strode towards the Uchiha, slow and steady. Itachi hugged the girl closer, staining himself with crimson blood. He took equal steps backward, out to the edge of the meadow.

"M-Madara, leave her alone." Both sets of Sharingan spiraled out of control. The older Uchiha grimaced behind his mask.

Yumiko did her best to hug Itachi's neck tighter, and snuck a peek over her shoulder at the unknown man.

Madara flicked his visible eye to meet her gaze.

"Yumiko!"

())~%~~

**Yumiko's POV**

The world twisted and changed around me. Itachi suddenly disappeared, allowing my knees to hit the ground. Only, instead of the usual soft grass of Kigakure, I landed hard on _rock_.

The room-cave-around me was completely dark, with a hardly noticeable, soft, purple glow that flash lit the cave from behind me. Small puddles that reflected the purple light dotted the cold ground, and water dripped of the stalactites in a steady pace, disrupting the puddles' reflection.

Dammit…

The same cave from eight years ago.

I tried to ignore the feline growls behind me, but it became so much more challenging when the cat started _speaking_.

_"Yumiko-chan, do not be rude, turn around."_

I shrank about two inches, but I obeyed. Another rage massacre was unnecessary.

Green eyes met yellow eyes, taking me back to that hellish night when the only color to be seen was crimson red.

It was just as I remembered. Still an intimidating purple, still as gigantic as the Hokage Monument, and those damn _eight tails _waved behind it.

Only this time, I was not alone in the darkened cave. That masked man Itachi called Madara was standing in front of the beast, his back towards me.

_"It seems as though we have a guest."_

Madara chuckled.

_"I've heard about you… Uchiha Madara. The immortal man who can control the nine bijuu quite exceptionally with his Mangekyo Sharingan."_

_Uchiha_ Madara?

_"You are here to kill me, are you not?"_

_Uchiha_ Madara? This guy was a _relative _of_ Itachi?_

"I am here to kill your _host_, eight-tails."

_What?_

_"Hmmm… What did she do this time?"_

"She has… relations… with another Uchiha."

_"Itachi… I did try my best to take control of her and kill him…"_

I refused to believe what I was hearing, but I didn't get myself into a deeper hole by speaking.

"No need. That will make more trouble. You and the jinchuuriki are already in the way as it is."

I had to! If this was it, I was going to _at least _send him back with a scar with an interesting story behind it! So I said, "Madara, you're the one 'in the way'."

"…"

He turned to face me. The one crimson eye sent cold shivers down my back.

_Insta-Regret._

He took a step closer. Blood rushed to my face and the hair on my neck stood on end.

He took two more strides. My stomach twisted into a complicated knot.

Madara was only arm's length away from me. The knot tightened, until-?

())~%~~

"Don't touch her."

Itachi materialized between the two to stare his older relative down, Sharingan spinning out of control to form a Mangekyo pattern.

"Heh… you broke through…"

"Madara-"

"Don't start to worry now, Itachi. I won't go near her-!" The masked man spun on his heels as fast as his Sharingan to face the beast.

The jaguar's yellow eyes grew and it growled in a vicious tone in an attempt to scare him off. Madara took control instantly, controlling the thing like it was a mere house cat.

He chuckled and canceled the genjutsu; the cave disappeared in a flash of blinding white light.

())~%~~

The jinchuuriki fell to her hands and knees. Her eyes turned a piercing purple, her nails became daggers, and a lavender chakra aura enveloped her like Death envelopes his victim. The gash in her arm reopened and her shoulder spilled crimson blood on the grass.

"Yumiko-" Itachi reached out to stop some of the bleeding, to try and hold the wounds closed, but the chakra sent a jolt through his body.

It _burned_ him, like a _flame_.

The chakra flame grew, engulfing so much space plus Yumiko.

Madara stepped back from the raging chakra fire, his face unreadable. Itachi staggered backward trying not to get burnt, cursing his older relative with each step he took.

And then Yumiko _growled_.

No, not Yumiko, the _eight-tailed jaguar _silhouette that towered over everything and blocked out the sun.

The girl's arms gave out under her and she fell to the ground, and the chakra flame whooshed itself out.

Madara glared at the feline beast 20 times his size with his Sharingan. It winced in agony, and started to _change_.

The jaguar's very _skin_ started to bubble and sizzle, as if it was being _boiled_. It melted into a purple bubble puddle-more like _ocean_-and rebuilt itself into a creature that was half ox, half octopus.

Madara activated his teleportation jutsu and the beast was gone in another flash of white light.

_Out to Kumogakure-the Cloud Village._

The masked man followed it to see how his menacing plan would turn out, leaving Itachi and Yumiko alone.

At last.

())~%~~

Itachi staggered to his feet and leaned down next to Yumiko.

(He heard that a jinchuuriki dies if they are separated from their bijuu.)

"Please don't go." he whispered, taking the girl in his arms and cradling her head. "You are the only one who still cares enough to keep me close."

"Itachi… I don't think…" she stopped. A breeze rustled the grass.

"Yumiko-"

"It was bound to be short-lived, we both knew that from the beginning."

The weasel didn't answer. He clutched the cat closer, trying _so hard _to keep the life in her from escaping.

(Trying _so hard _not to cry.)

Another soft breeze blew a strand of hair from his face.

She smiled, even laughed a little. "Itachi… I… never got to tell you…" Her voice was slowly getting weaker, as if fading. He knew the end of the love story, but didn't want to accept it. "…I love you, too."

She smiled, weak, but sweet. As if saying, "Please don't cry… not over me."

He didn't want to believe his eyes, seeing that tiny smile fade.

Seeing the color drain from her already pale skin.

Seeing her go limp in his arms.

And as her eyes slipped close, he vowed never to love anyone ever again.

_When A Weasel and A Cat Kiss~End_

* * *

A/N~ *Throws Kleenex and apology cookies* I even grew mushrooms in the corner from that ending... How ya doing, Itachi?

Itachi: You _bitch_.

Love you, too!

And I apologize AGAIN for being so late, so I have a surprise for everyone! Keep checking back, and you'll see it very soon!


	9. Emptiness known as Death

_A/N~ Surprise! :D_

**When a Weasel and a Cat Kiss…**

_**Epilogue  
****The Emptiness known as Death**_

"Forgive me, Sasuke. No next time…" With those last words, he poked his little brother's forehead, like he's always done…

Like he always poked her.

His memories flooded back to the front of his mind…

That first kiss, the intentional second one.

Her stories, how her voice had that soothing chime to it.

That day when he said "I love you," and how her lips had felt so, so warm on his.

The night they spent in bed, and her laughter when he almost killed that shark for telling everyone.

That day when he heard Madara talk about killing her, 'for his own sake.'

That last moment when she spent her last breath saying "I love you, too…"

A small smile danced on the corners of his mouth.

Not because he was making his little brother happy, no, it wasn't that. He was devastated that he had to leave him to fend for himself now.

He smiled because he knew that he was going to die. He knew it, and he was thrilled. She'd be waiting for him.

As his fingers traced down his little brother's face, leaving a trail of blood behind, his tiny smile grew.

As he slid to the ground, his onyx eyes slowly closed.

As he let go of life, he, for the first time in a long time, was content.

Not happy, no. He was still leaving his innocent little brother behind. He was not happy, but he wished he could be. He wished his little brother understood, but he didn't. So he wasn't happy.

Just content.

())~%~~

She knew he was coming. She had been watching the whole fight. Her heart was in her throat as he came closer and closer to slipping away.

Her hands grew clammy, and a perfect blush came across her cheeks. She smiled, and remembered that accidental first kiss. His lips had felt so, so warm against hers.

She calmed herself down, listening to the running of the Nakano river. They had decided to meet there, when the emptiness came, in secret the day before she met her fate.

She didn't know why, but she assumed it was just because he knew the way there. Yes, she had gotten lost, but she had six years to find it. She eventually found her way.

Then she heard that velvet voice that had sent chills up her spine the first time she grew to like her name.

"Yumiko."

She turned. He looked like a wreck, blood and cuts everywhere, and a lot older. He must have been six or seven years ahead of her, now. Still, she smiled; she didn't mind.

The weasel walked over to the cat, and he hugged her close.

It was that perfect moment they were both waiting for, that perfect moment they were both denied. She melted in his arms, never felt that warm in forever. He curled his fingers in her hair, relieved that no one could take her away again.

And as their lips met, she could only wonder how it was possible to feel this lighthearted when your heart had stopped beating…

())~%~~


End file.
